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Why it’s extra important to get your flu shot this year
In the northern hemisphere, flu season peaks from December to February with 40 million to 50 million Americans contracting the virus on average. This year, because of the pandemic, it’s more important than ever to get your flu shot. You might ask, I’m not leaving my house or seeing other Read More...
Seattle protects Uber and Lyft drivers with new gig economy wages
The gig economy is growing, but these workers are not always guaranteed the same protections as employees in more traditional roles. In a move to protect these workers, the city of Seattle has passed a new wage scale for Uber and Lyft drivers, including a $16.39 minimum wage, to ensure their wages Read More...
Adding floating solar to hydropower plants would create an energy boom
A new study suggests there is a way to make hydropower plants produce more energy: placing floating solar panels on the reservoirs of hydropower plants. According to a new analysis of the energy potential of combining these facilities with floating solar panels, scientists calculated that these Read More...
Yes! Fat Bear Week is back again
2019 marked the first time The Optimist Daily became familiar with the furry phenomenon that is Fat Bear Week. If you aren’t familiar with Fat Bear Week, let us enlighten you: it’s a whole week dedicated to the brown bears of Katmai National Park in Alaska, who have been eating nonstop before Read More...
California to produce its own generic drugs to take down big pharma
Whereas one vial of insulin costs about $30 in Canada, that same vial can go for as much as $450 in the US. This is just one example of the sky-high prices of prescription drugs in America, which have risen three times faster than inflation over the past decade. And while generic drugs can help Read More...
A step-by-step guide for repotting your houseplants
During the lockdown, you took the opportunity to spruce up your living space with a new houseplant. You tended to it, gave it care, and over time it’s grown quite big. But there comes a point when your plant becomes too big for its own pot, and if you leave it in there too long, it will suffer. Read More...
Parrots at English zoo removed from public display after cursing at guests
When the Lincolnshire Wildlife Park in Friskney, England, adopted five African grey parrots in August, it had little clue that the birds might offend some of the park’s visitors. A little time after the parrots’ arrival, the park’s staff noticed that all five birds shared an unfortunate, yet Read More...
How to reach the flow state in our distracted world
What is the flow state? As described in the famous 1990 book Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi says that the “best moments usually occur when a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something Read More...
French law tightens regulations on keeping wild animals in captivity
Although it can be fascinating to see wild animals up close and personal, many animals kept for human viewing are not housed in humane conditions. In a big win for animals and their activists, France has passed a law gradually banning the use of wild animals in traveling circuses and the captivity Read More...
This project in South Africa is seeing cheetah populations recover
While cheetah populations have been struggling worldwide for decades, there is one country that is seeing significant cheetah population growth: South Africa. The country is home to around 1,300 of the world's roughly 7,100 remaining cheetahs and is witnessing population growth thanks largely to Read More...